It is well-understood that reproduction devices such as copying machines (or “copiers”), computer printers (or “printers”), facsimile machines (or “fax machines”), and combination devices (e.g., “all-in-one machines”) periodically require replacement of consumable items such as toner and printing ink. It is also possible that a user may need to replace actual parts of the reproduction devices sometimes.
It is also well-understood that even among the same category of reproduction devices, such as copiers for example, there may be dozens, if not over one hundred different models being currently sold by the same company. For various reasons, replacement consumable items such as toner cartridges can be nearly as diverse as the copiers, with often little compatibility of a particular toner cartridge with more than one copier. For this reason, it is imperative when repurchasing or reordering consumable items for reproduction devices that the exact supply item number, part number or other identifier is given to the re-supplying merchant, so that the correct and compatible consumable item is received.
The usual clumsy prior art approach is to have users rely on a printed manual supplied at the time of the initial purchase of the reproduction device. Often, however, these manuals are lost. Further, even when they are not lost, because the manuals must often cover a large number of topics and information, they may be bulky, and intimidating for more technologically-challenged users.
Another approach is to remove the replacement item, which can be bulky and sometimes soils its surroundings, and take it to a re-supplying merchant to have it matched. This is not possible when placing online or telephone reorders of the replacement item. The user is then left with perhaps having to jot down what might be several numbers listed on the item to be replaced, in the hope that he or she will have written down a number of use.
What is therefore needed, is a way to immediately provide replacement item information to a reproduction device user on the user's demand, and in a user-friendly way for easy and accurate replacement item reordering. There is also an unmet need to provide a more efficient way for remotely ordering replacement items for reproduction devices.